BOOKS

A manual on working smart

Work Smart is business-class education…the practical way of thinking, planning and implementing. – Papa Sam

FROM the mind behind Personal Viability (PV) education comes another book on mind development for successful living, entrepreneurship and financial independence.
Samuel Tam or Papa Sam’s second book is a sequel to his first, Be Inspired, published in 2019.
Simply titled Work Smart the book was co-authored with his wife Dawn Virgina and Aileen Kaiulo, a heart-and-soul believer, practicioner and coach of PV business-class education.
“After the publication of my first book Be Inspired, I realised there is still something mission from the way readers and students think, act and respond. Their perception is quite different to mine,” Papa Sam says.
“Work Smart is business-class education, not so much the commercial knowledge but more so the practical way of thinking, planning and implementing. As I was coaching praxis (trainees) over the years, I began to become conscious of the difference between working-class or academic thinking and business-class thinking. This is the main reason why I decided to write this book. Hopefully, I will write a third book, How – Business Plan and Implementation.
“Over the years, I got frustrated when praxis say they understand but in fact, I found out later, they don’t understand. And I never knew why, until now.
“Praxis perceive things from a completely different mindset from the way I perceive things. I look at things from a practical point of view, reality without the illusions of wishful thinking. But how can I explain this without upsetting people or undermining their status at home, the workplace and in society? I hope this book will serve the purpose of changing stimuli and response through the perspective of ‘work smart’ and the Self 2 lens.”
The section on seeing through two different lenses, the Self 1 and Self 2 lenses, was the result of a Q&A interaction between Kaiulo and Tam.
“I think perception through Self 2 is the ‘pearl’ in this book, which came from nowhere,” Tam says.
“The Self 2 lens, used properly, will solve a lot of human misunderstanding, and as a result, there will be less stress and strife, conflict and disharmony, because we understand each other better. I wish to thank Aileen publicly for without her questions and interaction, I would not have found a simple, yet to me, profound solution to one of humanity’s greatest problem: How to live peacefully with one another.”
So what are then are these lenses (Self 1 and 2)?
Self 1 refers to intangible liabilities or interference. The Bible calls this sin – which has everything to do with negative beliefs and attitudes, fear and all sorts of other negative ‘baggage’ that hinders a person’s value.
Self 2, on the other hand, refers to intangible resources or potential – what is within all humans and is available for them to realise their true potential – physical, mental and spiritual.
It is all about perception: you can look through the lens of Self 1 or Self 2. The Self 1 lens is earthly while the Self 2 lens is heavenly.
The words of bestselling author Gabrielle Bernstein are quoted here: “We are not responsible for what our eyes are seeing. We are responsible for how we perceive what we are seeing.”
From the introduction, the book opens with testimonies of trainees and a discourse onf assets and liabilities, the human resource and the Human Development Institute’s balance sheet of life – which basically is a balance sheet of Self 1 against Self 2.
The book explains why one needs to learn how to work smart for success. The ‘how’ to achieve results, to develop assets and to avoid acquiring liabilities.
It is a series of 82 “working smart” habits or rules such as being viable, making money to invest (not to spend) and learning from mistakes and failures – the best teachers in life.
Throughout the book, Tam’s co-author asks pertinent questions under each theme and draws out his wisdom which he has acquired over the years both as a businessman and as a hands-on trainer/coach to thousands of Papua New Guineans.
As he has pointed out time and again during the numerous PVBS graduations, thousands have undertaken his training yet a few among the thousands have been able to proceed form micro enterprises to big business ventures in the country .
Something is still not working out as expected. Evidently, the answer to that situation lies in not merely in a clear understanding of the gospel of PV but practicing it in life.
Like Papa Sam says, Christians have read the Bible but not many are putting the knowledge and wisdom in to work in their lives.
It is the same with Tam’s PV knowledge. It is useless until put to use.
It is hope of the authors that the DIY steps contained in Work Smart will prove useful in turning the life of an individual, a family or small enterprise.
The book will be launched on Independence Day, which is also the 25th anniversary of the PVBS education system in PNG.

Writers’ blog hosts writing contest

A BRAND-new writing competition for short biographical stories is being sponsored by Engan politician and businessman Councillor Paul Kurai.
Kurai is the owner of Ribito Grill & Restaurant at Central Waigani and Wabag’s newest and biggest hotel of the same Ribito brand.
Only two weeks away from staging the inaugural Tingting Bilong Mi essay competition awards ceremony in May this year, prominent Papua New Guinean writer and author Daniel Kumbon surprised the organisers with a cash contribution.
Kumbon and Cr Kurai came forward with a total of K5,000 to help support Ples Singsing Blog’s writing competitions.
The donation included K1,000 from the first sale of Victory Song of Pingeta’s Daughter, a biographical story of Cr Paul Kurai’s maternal grandfather, written by Daniel Kumbon. The balance of K4,000 was for the Kurai Memorial Awards for biographies.
The book Victory Song records the story of the senior Kurai, a village constable who married a girl who had survived and run away with his little brother from the unfortunate shooting of village men by Michael Leahy’s men. The incident was captured in the award-winning documentary film First Contact.
Paul Kurai is the son of that girl and the famous bosboi Kurai Tapus. Today Paul Kurai is a successful businessman whose Ribito restaurant is best known for the delicious mouthwatering steaks from beef cattle raised in West New Britain province, and prepared by an expert local chef, who had trained at the prestigious Airways Hotel.
In the memory of his late father, who had become a policeman and served his people and the country despite lacking any formal education Cr.Kurai requested for Ples Singsing Blog to run the Kurai Memorial Awards as a contest for writers to produce biographical stories about their relatives or close friends who may also have played an important nation building role in their own community prior to independence in 1975.

The competition opened on May 1 and closes on Nov 30, for judging and awards in the New Year. Entry is free and open to anyone to take part.
There are men’s and women’s categories and the best story in each category wins K500 prize money and runner-up K300 plus a copy of Victory Song of Pingeta’s Daughter, which is valued at K250.
The best stories received will be published on the Ples Singsing blog and may be promoted for publishing elsewhere.
Entry biographies do not need to be about famous people or those of high status or position.
“We want to read about ordinary Papua New Guineans who were working in the early days to do something positive for their family, their community and all of us as a nation,” one of the the orgnaisers, Betty Wakia says.
“The person written about may have started off as an unknown but later gained fame, or may have been forgotten with all their hard work and effects remaining untold. We want to read these stories and want future Papua Niuginians to read your family stories as well. So share them with us.
“The length of the story should not be less than 1, 500 and not more than 5, 000 words. Your title header should be less than 25 words in Bold and one full space above the main text. Text should be all in Times New Roman size 12, single spaced paragraphs and left Justified. Subtitles may be Italicized but not spaced from the following text.
Send your entries to [email protected] or visit us on our website: plessingsing.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Article and pictures supplied by Ples Singsing Papua Niuginian Writers